Month: February 2018

Her eyes are fierce and focused as she aims for the netted enclosure. She steps inside and stares fixedly at the padded mechanical arm making its way toward her, facing it like a warrior. Seconds before it reaches her, she bends her legs and gains air from the trampoline below, sending her soaring above the unyielding arm. A triumphant grin spreads across her face.

She faced the machine and won.

This machine is called Wipeout, and it’s my daughter’s favorite attraction at Soar Trampoline Park. At least for now, that is. Maybe next time it will be dodgeball, or the ninja area (coming soon). After all, there are many activities to entertain both kids at adults at this trampoline park – the only one of its kind in the Joplin area.

Soar is housed in a large grey building tucked behind a strip mall in Webb City, just north of Joplin. It’s the brainchild of Leigh and Danny Schroer, who moved to the area from Louisiana. There, their kids spent a lot of time jumping at the local trampoline parks, and never grew tired of them. Seeing the opportunity to bring a trampoline park to Joplin (Danny’s hometown), they opened the 26,000-square-foot facility in March 2017.

It’s been a hit with the community, especially on the weekends when around 800 jumpers check in to catch some air. My kids have been to the park many times, and my youngest recently had her birthday party here.

So, what does a typical visit to Soar look like?

Check In

All jumpers must check in at the front desk and complete a waiver (this can also be done online ahead of time). Jumping sessions can be purchased in 30-minute increments, either on site oronline. Also, all jumpers must purchase Soar socks (which you can bring back to use for future visits, like we’ve done).

Activities

After you check in, you’re free to soar!

Try out some tricks in the open jump area, where there are 40 trampolines to choose from.

Or test your timing in my daughter’s beloved Wipeout area.

Have you always dreamed of making a slam dunk? The trampolines in the basketball area can propel you to make that dream a reality.

If you come with a group of friends, have some team fun in the dodgeball area, the most popular attraction at Soar. At some point, you may need a break from jumping. That’s when you can dive into Soar’s foam pit!

Coming soon to Soar is a ninja course which will include a foam pit, fidget ladders, and six obstacles.

Parents, you can rest assured knowing that there are employees walking around and watching the jumpers at all times. During busy times, a court monitor is stationed at each activity, too.

If you have little ones and you don’t want them jumping with the big kids, don’t worry. There’s a designated toddler area for kids under age five where they can jump, and also play in a foam pit.

Other Stuff About Soar

If your exercise routine has grown stale, try an ExSOARcise class! Each class is 45 minutes long, and the first one is free.

The park also sets aside time for jumpers with special needs. Contact Soar for more info.

Jumping isn’t just for kids. Many area professional groups book times at Soar for team-building exercises. The park is available for private parties on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Birthday Parties

There is a party coordinator (aka a birthday party fairy) assigned to each party to ensure that things run smoothly.

You can opt for a birthday table in the midst of the action if you want to watch your kids jump, or you can choose a private room in the back of the building. We booked a private room for my daughter’s birthday, and it was nice having a quiet place for kids to rest (and hydrate), and for the adults to talk.

The kids jumped for the first hour, then they returned to the room for pizza (included in the package). We then opened gifts and ate cake (which I brought in) for the second hour of the party.

The main road running east to west across the south side of Joplin is officially known by a number: 32nd Street. But, with the influx of popular sushi restaurants dotted along this thoroughfare, it might as well be called Sushi Street.

Today I’d like to introduce you to the newest kid on Sushi Street: Sakura Sushi & Grill. Located in a strip mall just west of the Freeman Hospital complex, Sakura’s regular patrons include medical professionals and residents from the surrounding neighborhoods.

Inside, there’s a dining area with tables and booths, as well as a bar area (one of the waitresses here makes the best Lemon Drop Martini I’ve ever sipped).

For those of you looking for something stronger, Sakura serves sake, too (you can even order it cold, which sounds like an interesting drink on a hot summer day).

For an appetizer, we ordered edamame, a dish made from steamed young soybeans still in their pods.

Sprinkled with salt, edamame becomes a highly addictive treat. Plus, it’s kind fun to pop the beans out of the pods, too.

I noticed that several people in the restaurant had ordered bento boxes for lunch. Here’s an example of one from Sakura’s menu.

Bento boxes include a choice of one or two sushi rolls or stir-fried dishes, miso soup, a house salad, steamed rice, and edamame. It’s a lot a food for a reasonable price. Sakura offers dinner bento boxes, as well.

For my entree, I ordered the Green Goddess roll, which is a baked sushi roll that marries flavors from Japan and Mexico.

It’s filled with tempura shrimp, then topped with guacamole and tempura flakes. It sounds unusual, but it’s delicious!

Carrie, who is vegan, ordered the Vegetable Roll for her entrée. It was made with fresh cucumbers, avocados, and crunchy Japanese pickles.

Look at that pretty roll.

At Sakura, there’s a variety of sushi rolls, either fresh or baked, to choose from. And for you purists out there who want to ditch the seaweed and other accompaniments that come in sushi rolls, there are many sashimi and nigiri options. Sashimi consists solely of pieces of fish or seafood, and nigiri is the same except the pieces of fish or seafood are served atop small mounds of rice.

But you don’t have to be a seafood lover to enjoy a meal at Sakura. Landlubbers can try entrees like Orange Chicken, BBQ Short Ribs, or Beef Teriyaki (Tofu Teriyaki, if you’re a vegetarian). And if you don’t have time to dine in at Sakura, you can order your food to go.

You’ll find first-rate, flavorful food and attentive service at Sakura. With the addition of this restaurant – the third quality sushi spot on this road – people might just start believing that 32nd Street (aka Sushi Street) leads directly to the ocean.

You know the feeling you get when the underdog that you’ve been rooting for wins the race? That’s the same feeling I get when I step inside M&M’s Bistro’s new – and more spacious – locale on Main Street in downtown Joplin.

The original restaurant was opened in April 2013 by the Alvandi family: Mehrdad, his wife Minoo (the chef), and their son Sia. Over the years, the Alvandis have built a loyal following, and that’s no small feat for a family-run business. Local mom-and-pop restaurants are typically underdogs in the fickle restaurant industry where they’re competing with national chains.

But with high-quality Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, along with pleasant service, M&M Bistro has proven it has staying power in the Joplin market.

My husband Travis and I often come to M&M Bistro for lunch during the week, but our most recent visit was the first time we’d been to the restaurant’s new location.

We had two options for parking: along Main Street in front of the building, or in the public lot at the rear of the building. We chose the lot.

Inside, the first thing I noticed was the festive twinkle lights and cozy atmosphere. Mehrdad, the owner, greeted us with a soft smile and led us to our table. On our way there, we passed the restaurant’s bar area.

Yes, M&M Bistro now has a liquor license!

Since it was a chilly day out, we ordered hot tea. The teapot and cup were presented on a dainty scalloped white platter with gold trim.

The teacup itself was served in a copper and glass cup, and was unlike anything I’d seen before.

We ordered dolmades as an appetizer: tender grape leaves stuffed with a mixture of rice, toasted pine nuts, and spices. The creamy Florentine sauce served on top contrasted nicely with the subtle tang of the grape leaves.

My entree came with a Mediterranean salad, and it was one of the freshest and crispiest salads I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant. The vegetables tasted like they’d just been plucked from the garden – even though it was the middle of winter.

The salad was crowned with a hearty scoop of crunchy tabbouleh, a bulgur salad mixed with parsley, mint, onion, tomatoes, and seasoned with salt, olive oil, and lemon juice.

Travis ordered the Mediterranean platter as his entree.

The base of the platter included everything that was in my salad, plus slices of tender and savory gyro meat, cool and refreshing Tzatziki sauce, homemade hummus, warm pieces of pita, and sliced, seasoned potatoes.

The Mediterranean platter is what I usually order, but I thought I’d try something new in honor of M&M Bistro’s new location. I took Mehrdad’s suggestion and ordered spanakopita. I’ve always thought of this traditional Greek dish as a finger food; the kinds I’ve bought in the freezer section at the grocery store are always presented as such, but the one I had at M&M Bistro was different.

Here, the phyllo dough pastry was stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, and cheese, then topped with a creamy Florentine sauce. Hearty and dense, it was definitely fork food.

While dessert was the furthest thing from my mind, I’d heard that the baklava here was outstanding and I wanted to give it a try, so I ordered it to go. Honestly, I hadn’t had baklava in years and, from what I remembered, I thought it was just okay.

Well, that was before I tasted M&M Bistro’s version. The combination of mixed nuts, brown sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon made it taste somewhat like a snickerdoodle cookie but with a different texture, thanks to layers of flaky phyllo dough. I guess I’ll be ordering this every time I go now.

Another thing that I wanted to mention about M&M Bistro was the use of this symbol throughout the restaurant.

It reads: “Good thoughts, good words, good deeds. There is but one path in the world – the path of honesty.”

This symbol also appears in the logo for M&M Bistro, so I asked Mehrdad about its meaning. He explained that it was the Faravahar figure, a common symbol in his country of origin: Iran. And what does the M&M in the logo stand for? Mehrdad and Minoo.

Knowing the meaning behind M&M Bistro’s logo adds yet another layer of appreciation for this family-run business. Not only do the Alvandis offer a taste of their country through their food, but they proudly display symbols of their culture throughout the restaurant, offering those of us who have never been to their homeland a glimpse into the world outside of the Ozarks.

Authenticity, pleasant service, fresh food, and pride in family, culture, and business are the qualities that make the Alvandi’s M&M Bistro one of the top dogs in the Joplin dining scene.

M&M Bistro is located at 612 S. Main Street. Click here to visit its website, and click here to follow M&M Bistro on Facebook.